- The vast majority of the companies that we work for
have a sales methodology structured to fit
their product or service offerings.
It could be a specific program
like the challenger sale,
collaborative selling, or solution sales.
I'm of the school of thought that the basic
seven to 10 step sales program
that's centered on information, need, and product service
is the one that works 90% of the time.
It's also one you can customize
to fit the nature of your business
and the type of sales staff you have.
You may even want to review in the library
my course called Creating Your Sales Process.
The planning, research, solving and presenting,
along with closing and follow-up stage
of the sales process are similar
no matter what your sales position may be.
However, for field people, I definitely think
you need to add some additional training
because of the nuances of working remotely.
And who knows those nuances better than you?
The corporate trainer in human resources?
The consultant hired to train all salespeople?
Their intentions will certainly be good
but as the field sales manager,
it's your responsibility to ensure
your sales teams training needs are met.
This means you have to take an active role in
flagging those skills for your staff
that need to be improved.
You need to evaluate the specific additional
training requirements for your organization,
but I think they should include
at least some of the following.
Time management and organization.
We often take for granted that field salespeople
have a firm grasp of managing their time,
office structure, and organizing their home business.
Do you remember when you first became a field salesperson?
I know I do and could've benefited
with some additional training in these areas.
Management and reporting.
How many of your salespeople are good at writing
clear and focused account reports?
Why do some sales representatives
write quarterly updates with no information
while others include even the most obscure detail?
It's because we never trained them properly
as to what's required.
CRM.
Most of us require our teams to be diligent
with their use of our company's
customer relationship management software.
I think ongoing training is critical.
In fact, anything that involves technology
needs to be on a regular refresher structure for your group.
Remember, because they are remote,
they can't go down the hallway for one-on-one support.
Finance.
Let's face it, we have our sales people tied to numbers
and expose them to profit and loss statements
more than ever before.
We don't need or want them to be CPAs,
but they do need a strong working knowledge
of the financial process.
It can only benefit them in understanding
the importance of profitability.
Other departments.
I also feel that based on the remote
aspect of their position,
salespeople need to be educated on the roles
of other departments in the home office.
Seems like a no-brainer but we often take for granted
that our salespeople have a clear understanding
of what the marketing, business development,
corporate development, and lead generation departments do.
Providing training prevents a lot of misunderstanding.
You'll obviously have other training needs
you could add or to replace the ones I've listed,
but the importance of ongoing training can't be minimized.
From regular reviews of how your salespeople
are managing their own sales process,
the special meetings you add,
your commitment to training makes a difference.
Field sales representatives face issues
and obstacles that are different than any other salespeople.
Providing sales training that focuses on those nuances
can only help make your team better and more successful.